'There's room for two,' Coast brothel manager says

THE Sunshine Coast once again has a choice of brothels, and the demand may just fulfil both of them.

Licensed brothel Lush opened for business at Marcoola just over a week ago, and manager Emma Bennett said they could not have hoped for a better entry into the market.

"Like anything - restaurants or hairdressers - it's good to have choice and not everyone wants the same thing," Ms Bennett said, adding that their employees hail from a variety of places around the country.

"We want to get interstate girls, we want to support local girls too, but it's a different kettle of fish, it's variety," she said.

"I've been in the industry for over 10 years as a manager, and people want spice.

"The Sunshine Coast is growing so much, there's certainly room for two businesses."

We don't just cater to Joe Blow - Lush manager Emma Bennett

Licensed Kunda Park brothel Scarlet Harem has been operating for more than a decade and has not had licensed competition for a number of years.

Owner Paris Satine was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Ms Bennet said there were positives to having brothels, such as the required sex education that she said leads to a lower rate of STIs.

"It's not just about the fantasy side of things and humans needing sex - it's about keeping STIs down and educating people," she said.

"A lot of people have a pre-conception of what brothels are, but we don't just cater to Joe Blow - we cater to the disabled, mentally and physically disabled, and sometimes that's the only opportunity they've had to feel a human touch."

Ms Bennett said many of the business decisions made - from the high-class, luxurious and elegant decor and the safe environment provided to employees and clients, to their easy to find location - had been specifically designed to see them into the future.